Pesto Pasta Salad is a bright delicious pasta that will scare away any #vampires🧛♂️Perfect for lunch during social distancing!
Ingredients:
12 ounces of farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 cup of frozen peas
10 garlic cloves
Two big handfuls of basil
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano
1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil
1 lemon
4 tablespoons of mayo
1 cup of blanched or thawed frozen spinach (optional)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil. Don’t forget to salt your water until it is salty like the sea! Add pasta and cook for 7-10 minutes until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a food processor add garlic, walnuts, basil, Pecorino Romano, and a little olive oil. Pulse the food processor 5 or 6 times.
Turn on the food processor and drizzle in olive oil until the mixture is smooth. Should take between 1/2 to a cup of olive oil.
Right now you have the perfect pesto (with addition salt and pepper to taste), however we are turning this into pesto salad. If you want to stop here for the pesto and store it, squeeze in lemon juice, add to a mason jar and cover with olive oil so it does not turn brown.
For the pesto salad, add the zest of the lemon, the juice of the lemon, mayo, and spinach. Pulse to combine until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The pasta should be just about cooked now. In a large bowl, add the frozen peas and drained pasta. The frozen peas will help cool down the noodles. DO NOT run cold water over the pasta! I repeat, DO NOT run cold water over the pasta. This rinses the starch and delicious flavor of the pasta right down the drain.
Once the pasta has cooled a few minutes, add the pesto salad to the bowl and toss with two wooden spoons to combine.
Serve with a side of prosciutto, basil, and baguette.
"Pesto, Pesto, Pesto"
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